[evenmike]

Quote:       Originally Posted by TRUE GRIT

I hate to admit it but I have had a .22 rimfire round go off in my pocket. It scared the heck out of me and gave me a little burn on my leg.

How did the round go off??

Also, I'm not so worried about rounds going off because of the heat. I am more worried about damage to the gun.

[samuel]

Quote:       Originally Posted by TRUE GRIT

Is your concern is if the heat will start lauching projectiles out of your trunk ? I have been told by firefighters that when they are dealing with a car on fire with a gun in it, the only round they are concerned with is the one in the chamber. A cartridge that is fired with out a barrel to build pressure up in will just explode and not be lauched with any where near the force of a projectile fired from a firearm. I hate to admit it but I have had a .22 rimfire round go off in my pocket. It scared the heck out of me and gave me a little burn on my leg. If the round had been lets say in the removable cylinder of a .22 revolver that was struck with enough force to ignite a round in my pocket, it could of headspaced and built up enough pressure to do the same damage if I pointed the revolver at my leg and pulled the trigger.

This definitly is not true with a revolver,altho the other chambers are deflected in different directions.Ask some of these BP revolver men about multiple chambers going off. sam.

[TRUE GRIT]

Quote:       Originally Posted by samuel

This definitly is not true with a revolver,altho the other chambers are deflected in different directions.Ask some of these BP revolver men about multiple chambers going off. sam.

Sam what I was refering to was the often referenced case where a young man was killed by an accidental discharge from the removed cylinder of a .22 single action revolver. He was hiking and shooting with a friend who had a removed the cylinder from his break top single action revolver and placed it in his shirt pocket. The cylinder fell out of his pocket and hit the ground just right and a round was touched off ( rimfire) and tragically struck his friend in the head and killed him. This was a freak accident but is brought up a lot by people who believe that a rimfire cartridge that gets droped or crushed is capable of causing death or injury.

The reason this young man was killed was because in this specific situation /freak accident the cylinder acted like a short barrel.

[TRUE GRIT]

Quote:       Originally Posted by evenmike

How did the round go off??

I was a kid with a .22 rifle running around in the mountins , had put a couple rounds in my pocket and forgot about them. Took a little tumble down a rocky hill side and they smacked something just right and boom.

Since there was no barrel to build pressure there was an explosion but no launch of the bullet.It was like a little lady finger firecracker going off in my pocket. I found the bullet and case both still in my jeans pocket.

[samuel]

I can believe that may have happened.Everything would have to be perfect but it would be possible.Many cases were recorded where percussion caps went off on loaded cylinders that weren't in the revolvers in much the same way.Civil war soldiers often carried loaded extra cylinders. sam.

[deadzero]

The only problem I can see with keeping ammo in a car like that is if its loaded with lead bullets. at those high of temperatures, 130 - 140 degrees F, bullet lube can flow into the powder charge and possibly cause a FTF. (at 100 - 104 deg. ambient temp. dark color cars can get that hot inside, 130 - 140 degrees if left closed).

I don't see any other problems. plastics don't run into problems till over 180 degrees, and powders are somewhere over 300 degrees. but high temps may affect the powder over long term.

now how primers may be affected, I don't know. call CCI or somebody and ask.

[lvlt]

years ago ,before moving to las vegas i had a 2nd home here,i left a gun in the car at all times,the car would be garaged(gated community,with security)for months sometimes 18 months all thru the summer.
i asked some gun people and a univ chem professor, they all said it was not possible to discharge.

[wunhunglo]

Rifle ammo in a fire can penetrate 3/4" pine boards & a slate roof.

[TXplt]

during our hot TX summers here and haven't had any problems. I don't think an "autoignition" would occur under any conceivable conditions within a normal car sitting under the sun anywhere on planet Earth.

Saw a "Mythbusters" episode with a gun and ammo in an oven and the temp to get a light was quite high--over 300 degrees F.

The long term effect on powders and primers is far less clear, and I wouldn't feel comfortable with ammo which had alot of hot/cold cycling in a car over the span of several years. Some of my ammo has been through a few hot summers/cold winters with no ill effects--I tend to rotate it out by shooting the rounds after several months. Never had a misfire or bad experience.

I'd prefer to store it at room temp if possible, though. Maybe an unheated/uncooled garage or shed would be OK. But not in a car for any long length of time.

[Sportsterboy]

If it has to be 340 degrees to "cook off" a round.....my car/trucks interior rarely reaches 340 degrees....& if it does, I have good AC in them.

[dodge310]

It won't hurt a thing unless the car catches on fire. The heat inside of a vehicle on a hot summer day isn't enough to hurt it. Done this many times.

[ironhead7544]

The only problem would be with cast bullets. The lube will melt. Ive had boxes of handloads melt the lube and run out of the cases. Not good for the powder if it stays inside the round. Use jacketed and you will be OK.

[dodge310]

Quote:       Originally Posted by TRUE GRIT

I hate to admit it but I have had a .22 rimfire round go off in my pocket. It scared the heck out of me and gave me a little burn on my leg. If the round had been lets say in the removable cylinder of a .22 revolver that was struck with enough force to ignite a round in my pocket, it could of headspaced and built up enough pressure to do the same damage if I pointed the revolver at my leg and pulled the trigger.

My dad had one go off. It was in his holster strapped to his leg. He stepped in a hole and it went off. The bullet is still logged behind his knee. They can't remove it. Been there since I was about 13. So almost 20 years now. It locks his knee up at times and he will fall..


Now, you said you were worried about Damage to the gun. If a small amount of heat that will be produced inside a vehicle hurts your gun, you don't want it anyways. There is not near enough heat generated inside a vehicle to do damage to even a half assed built gun.